Storm and Pledge: Royalty Made For Each Other
by G3rMan
Summary: After resolving the American Carrier Incident and Sora's Betrayal, Itsuki Minami felt like there was little else for himself to do in the throes of summer.  There was one last thing he still hadn't figured out though, Kururu's feelings.  IkkixKururu.
1. The Storm's Weakness

Air Gear

Chapter One

The Storm's Weakness

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AIR GEAR!**

Pairing: IkkixKururu

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"_Whispering"_

Time Frame: A Month after the Carrier Incident, Ikki destroyed the stolen Wind Regalia and defeated Sora and his followers. With a last minute stroke of genius from Kururu, the Storm Regalia was installed and Ikki was the new Storm King, forsaking the chance of becoming the Sky king so he could follow his own path in the Sky.

I know I mainly write Naruto stories but, I really like Air Gear and I have had a story running around in my head for a while now. I really want Ikki to get with Kururu, I used to be a fan of IkkixRingo in the anime, but then I read the manga and fell in love with Kururu. This story shouldn't be too long so around 2-3 chapters max, maybe one more.

Ikki didn't realize his feelings for Kururu after the carrier incident, but she was fine with waiting. Ikki was solidifying his place as leader of Kogarasumaru, and Kururu was finalizing her place as Pledge Queen. Tool Toul To is still allied with Kogarasumaru, and Sleeping Forest has receded into the shadows with Ringo and Ikki's friendship back on track.

000

_Air Gear_

_Ikki's Home_

_Bedroom_

_*Knock Knock*_

"Wake up Ikki!"

A loud yell came pounding into the black haired boy's ears, Ringo seemed to be able to get back into their old routine pretty easily. Ikki scratched the back of his head and placed the pillow over his ears to block her shrill knocking. It was the summer, and that meant that other than the occasional battle or practice, Ikki had no plans except sleep and eat.

_'Then again..I was supposed to meet with Kururu, she said she had something important to speak with me about.'_

He shrugged mentally and cringed as another tirade of knocking hit his ears, and he absently wondered how much longer the door would hold. A short countdown went on in his head as he held up five fingers and slowly lowered them as the countdown came to a close; on the last one, Ringo came charging through the wooden door with an annoyed glare.

"Dammit Ikki! Wake up already, it's eight o' clock in the morning! You have practice at nine with your team and then you said..uhm.._Sumeragi-san wanted to see you at noon._" She whispered the last part, somewhat hoping he had forgotten.

_'I hope she doesn't try anything funny, Ikki hasn't chosen anyone yet. Our competition is still game, but this is the perfect chance for her to try something sneaky..'_ Ringo menacingly glared at the air and Ikki wondered what she was thinking when suddenly she just started laughing.

_'Yeah right! Kururu doesn't have the guts to do something like that, its probably something to do with his regalia!'_

"Uh..Ringo..have you gone insane while I was asleep? 'Cause you were laughing..and I didn't say anything funny."

She looked at him funny and then blushed, knowing he had almost realized her secret. With a quick knock on the head, Ikki was out cold and Ringo felt her day had gotten off to a good start.

000

_An hour later_

"Guh..my head.." Ikki slowly stood up, scratching the big bump over his head and stumbling out into the house.

"_Damn Ringo..didn't have to hit me so hard."_ He whispered regretfully under his breath, and quickly headed downstairs to see who was home.

He entered the kitchen to the smell of wonderful meat, a rare delicacy in the household. Just as he arrived at the stove, a pan slammed over his head and Ikki saw stars for the second time today. Rika was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor and glaring at the Storm King's defeated figure, King or not, he wasn't about to take all the meat for himself.

"Alright mister, you'll just have to wait your turn like the girls!" Ikki grumbled something incoherent as he stood up and looked at the clock, his eyes widened to see it was time for practice.

"SHIT!" He ran out of the room quick to get out of his light clothes and into his team's usual uniform, a pair black pants and a black jacket with orange highlights.

Before heading back down, he made sure to check and grab his A-Ts, it wouldn't do for him to not remember those. Without his motorized roller blades, practice would be useless, and besides, they were his primary means of transportation. Ikki passed by Ringo and Mikan in the hallway with just barely a passing glance given to either, he was in the kitchen and already shoveling down as much as meat as he could take.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

"VICTORY IS MINE!"

Ikki left the house quickly, just barely avoiding a pan thrown from a fuming Rika at the door. She was shaking her fist at him with a death glare that could kill anyone else but the troublemaker Ikki. All he did was give her a mischievous smile and then he was off on his own road. As he turned around and focused on where he was going, Rika lost her glare and smiled at his passing form.

_'It has only been a month since he came to the carrier to stop Sora and rescue me..and I had actually entertained the thought he had matured. I guess I was wrong..but I can't say I'm not happy about having the usual Ikki around still..it makes life more interesting.'_

As the oldest of the five who inhabited the household, Rika Noyamano was the adopter of all four of the younger children. While she worked hard to sustain their family, it was still very difficult to maintain their budget and Rika often found herself wishing she could do more. None of them ever complained though, and through it all, they all managed to stay happy living under the same roof.

"Rika!" She turned to see Mikan come up behind her, the girl was the second oldest in the household and a member of Sleeping Forest, a very powerful A-T team lead by Ringo.

"Yeah, what's up?" Mikan joined her by the door and looked outside, as if trying to track Ikki down even after he was gone.

"Do you think he'll be alright? He may have been the Wind king for a while, and now he is the Storm king complete with the regalia, but do you think he can handle the responsibility?" Rika quirked an eyebrow at seeing the teen's concern for her younger adopted brother, it was rare from Mikan.

"Ikki is always the one to throw himself head first into anything he sets his mind to, and I can see that he really enjoys flying in the sky. Being a king is hard work, and it will take a wake up call for him to realize it, but when it comes along.." She paused, causing Mikan to look her in the eyes to see her smile. "He will show that he has what it takes to be the king everyone else wishes they could be." Mikan's eyes widened in surprised recognition and she nodded, although she found it hard to believe Rika was complimenting the boy so heavily.

_'That boy is so unpredictable..how can she be so sure?'_

"Rika! Ume wants you to see her new clothes she picked out!" Hearing Ringo's call, the girls headed back inside to resume life as usual in the Noyamano household.

000

_The Clock Tower_

_Team Tool Toul To's base_

"But Makigami-sensei!"

"No buts Kururu, its about time you and Ikki linked!" Kururu pouted with a blush on her cheeks as the former Pledge queen berated her on the embarrassing deed.

"Yes, you were able to install the Storm Regalia, but you didn't have enough time to make fine tune adjustments. Surely you have heard the sounds his A-Ts have been making since the battle, they are in pain! You have to do some maintenance and you also need to tune Ikki himself!" She again blushed at the thought, it wasn't really something she had considered but now that they were speaking of it, tuning with Ikki would be so embarrassing.

"But Makigami-sensei..I'm too..I mean..I can't..um.." The pink haired girl continued to stutter, unable to bring words to her protest; it was obvious to the older woman just what the girl was thinking, as the link between Kings and their tuners was a special bond, and everything was quite personal.

"It's not like you'll be having sex with him child, you'll just be syncing him with his A-Ts. Although..if you want..it could go farther. After all..those tuning suits are quite..alluring to men. There is little they don't show." If Kururu would turn any redder, she could be labeled a tomato.

"You knew this would be your ultimate responsibility as his tuner, and now that you have broken our neutrality to side with Kogarasumaru, there is little else for you as Pledge Queen to do. This is your responsibility now, can you handle it?" Kururu looked down at the ground, her Tool Toul To cap covered her face and her fingers gripped the black overalls tightly.

"I..understand." The elder Pledge Queen looked at her for a moment before shaking her head in a condescending manner.

"Kururu..I'm disappointed. You act as if this is a punishment. Don't you want to help the Storm King?" Kururu shot her head up to look at the previous Queen, surprising Ine by the speed and also Kururu's serious gaze directed towards her.

"Of course I want to help Ikki-kun! It's just..my feelings for him..I don't want to hinder him, with my skills." Once again Kururu faltered, she couldn't even admit the feelings she had for him to her teacher when the boy wasn't even around.

Luckily for her, it seemed the woman knew exactly what she was trying to say. Ine walked over to the pink haired girl and set a hand on her shoulder, a reassuring gesture for the nervous tuner.

"I see what you are saying now Kururu..although I suppose its been obvious to everyone but him. You know..I had the same problem with Spitfire..I was never able to tell him exactly how I felt back when I was his tuner." Kururu's shocked eyes met her master's as she soon felt that she wasn't so alone anymore.

_'She..had the same problem? Makigami-sensei always seems so strong..I had no idea it was the same for her.'_

"Did you ever get to tell him?" The woman had gazed off into the distance as if remembering something and Kururu hoped to get the conversation back on track.

"I think..he was smart enough to figure it out. That night he was headed out to do something very dangerous, and it was something I could tell he was troubled by. I knew his true feelings about the matter and tried to persuade him to stay behind..I was crying so much, I was so pathetic. He gave me one of those knowing gazes and apologized before he set out, and that was the end of it." Kururu looked down with a sad smile, at least her sensei's feelings were able to be expressed, she was afraid Ikki would never figure it out.

"Don't worry..the Storm King is somewhat thick headed, but he'll wake up soon enough. You have to as well Kururu, your shy shell is as much as a negative as it is a positive, and it will be difficult for someone like him to find out your feelings if you keep them bottled up." The girl nodded, even though it would be difficult for her to change, for Ikki, she would try.

_'I don't want to be a hindrance to him..so I'll just have to try harder!'_

"I understand sensei, I won't let you down." The woman nodded and checked her wristwatch, realizing it was almost noon, she took out a cigarette and quickly lit up.

"Kururu, I believe you said you would meet with him at noon, you should get going. Don't worry about your outfit, you'll be coming back here anyway so just go." Kururu panicked and headed out immediately, she hoped to meet Ikki on time.

_'I hope she can keep her confidence..it'll take something big to get those two together. They will both have to step up to the plate if they want it to work out.'_

000

_Team Practice_

_The Park_

The team was resting after a hard day of training, and Ikki had completely forgotten about his talk with Kururu. Even though there were no major enemies with Sora gone, the team still had to represent their territory. Also, in a bid to try and help strengthen their relationship with Sleeping Forest, Ikki promised to help safeguard the Sky regalia. There was also the job of protecting Tool Toul To as they were almost defenseless, but no one would dare threaten them.

"Ah man crow, I'm beat!" Agito complained, the team was sitting around the benches that made up the park near the playground.

"Stop complaining, you're the Fang king after all. Of course you aren't as good as me but...that was a given." Ikki smirked and looked at his nails with a superior gaze.

"Bastard..watch your step." The boy warned back, and the others were too tired to say anything else.

"Hey Ikki, I'm going to head out for some more..personal training alright?" Kazu alerted the team leader, and Ikki just nodded.

The boy had been going off alone increasingly to train his newly regained Flame Regalia abilities. Stolen from him soon after he had received the prize, Kazu had since regained his spot as Flame King. He found it easier to train alone though with his individual skills, and Ikki didn't want to put any more stress on him. Like he said, the team had no enemies to worry about, so he didn't have to be so strict.

"I'll go help him, I got nothin' better to do." Agito noted and headed out, albeit Akito was pissed they were leaving Ikki behind.

"Onigiri and I are going to go out to eat, the girls already left anyway. See ya later Ikki!" Buccha told him as the two larger team-mates headed out leaving Ikki alone.

Realizing he was getting left behind, Ikki quickly stumbled off after the two.

"Wait up! I'm hungry too! You can't just leave me behind!" Onigiri turned around and gave a perverted smirk, one that stopped the black haired boy in his tracks.

"But..don't you have a date with Kururu at noon? Why hang out with us when you can get a piece of that-" He couldn't finish the sentence before Ikki slammed his fist over the pervert's head and stomped back towards the park.

"Asshole."

"..Was it something I said?"

Ikki didn't have feelings like that for Kururu, or at least, he didn't think so. It just made him angry to think that Onigiri could ruin any girl's image just by speaking their name with his perverseness. The girl deserved better, and it was the least Ikki could do for her help with his Air Gear. As he returned to the park, the sudden thought of Kururu's help with everything he had done so far took over his thoughts as he absently sat on the swing set.

_'Hmm..this is where I first met her. Ha, she actually thought she could beat me in swing jumping, I don't think so.'_ That thought brought a smile to his face, Kururu was an interesting girl, and yet so odd to him.

_'Let's see, she's my tuner, albeit a quiet one at that. She's great though, she installed the Wind and Storm Regalia in the middle of battles in the span of a moment. Kururu is..really something else. She never asked for anything in return, it was as if my approval was thanks enough.'_ He was starting to swing now, it was a slow pace but he was gaining momentum as he continued to think about the pink haired girl.

_'And she's brave too, she ran away from home and even sided with the other team during a battle just to prove herself..I will admit that I felt a little jealous when she stood on their side during the battle.'_ His swings were fast and long now, a perfect time to jump off.

And he did just that, as gracefully as he was known for. He stood stock still as he landed a distance away from the swing set and looked at his feet, wondering about something.

"_I wonder how many points Kururu would rate this jump.."_ He whispered to himself, a little smile on his face as he thought of their past competitions.

"That's 15 points Ikki-kun, not bad." The voice surprised him and Ikki quickly did a 180 to be face to face with the girl in question, her eyes were wide and her mouth was pursed in surprise.

"I'm..sorry! I didn't think..I mean I thought you knew I was.._here_." She looked down as she realized she was stuttering again, silently berating herself again.

"Don't worry about it, you just scared me is all. I was just thinking about you actually." The blush was evident on her face when she met his gaze to confirm his words, he was mostly oblivious to it though.

"You..were?" Ikki nodded in confirmation and put his hand in his pockets before walking over to join her.

"Yeah..you know you're a pretty cool girl compared to most others I know." To Kururu, this was the biggest compliment that could be paid to her from Ikki and she smiled big, despite her blush.

"Thank you Ikki-kun!" She bowed, eliciting a laugh from Ikki as she quickly rose back up and scratched her head in embarrassment.

"So..why are you in that outfit? Did you just come from the tower?" Kururu looked down at her outfit and played with it a little, attempting to straighten out non-existent creases.

"Um..yes I did. I was in such a hurry because I was talking _with..my..sensei._" Kururu began to falter and her speech fell to a whisper as she remembered her conversation with her teacher, remembering what she was supposed to tell him.

She bit her lip, it wasn't as easy as the woman made it out to be. Ikki wasn't exactly the brightest guy, but in no way was she calling him stupid, he just didn't comprehend things the same as others. It was difficult for her to explain things, and coupled with her stuttering and his short attention span, it made things difficult. Nonetheless, the former Queen wouldn't allow her to return if Kururu came back empty handed so she had to say something.

"Um..Ikki..I wanted to..ask if you would.."

She had the words but they wouldn't come out, and Ikki quickly lost his patience and turned his attention to the sky instead of her. It made Kururu falter again, as if any energy she had was sapped when he stopped looking at her, and she decided to make a distraction.

"Hey Ikki-kun, wanna go for a walk with me?" Ikki turned his attention back to her and shrugged in agreement.

The girl smiled and set off out of the park down the street, headed towards the shopping district. Ikki smiled a bit as he watched her walk ahead, still standing in the same spot. He observed her from a distance and realized how cute she looked, not something he had really taken notice of with anyone other than Simca. Realizing he was not following, Kururu inclined her head back to look at him and waved him forward, encouraging Ikki to snap out of his daze.

"Right! I'm coming!"

000

_Streets_

Fifteen minutes later, Ikki and Kururu were walking down the sidewalk with two cones of ice cream. She had gotten a strawberry chocolate combination while he had chosen to get every single flavor that the man could fit on the cone. At first she didn't think Ikki could handle all eight scoops, but within a few minutes, over half of it was gone and the rest was soon to follow. She turned her attention back to him and continued her job of slowly taking away more strawberry cream from the cone with her small tongue.

Ikki looked at her as they walked, noticing her gaze on him. She was just looking at him, and he found the way her tongue would work around the dome of the icy delicacy astounding. It was as if he was in a trance, one that rudely stopped when she stopped licking.

_'I wonder why..'_ Ikki soon found out as he slammed into the back of a person, almost knocking both him and the man over.

He heard Kururu yelp in surprise and quickly gathered his bearings to look in front of him, only to see at least four guys looking _quite_ angry. The man that he had almost knocked over was wearing a similar uniform to the others, a black trench coat with red lining along the seams. The thought that came to both Ikki and Kururu's mind sent ice running down their spines.

_'Storm Riders..'_

"Oh, and what do we have here boys? A little runt and his girl.." Ikki balled his fist and gave a deadly glare at the man, as if ready to punch him.

"Who you callin' runt, _buddy_?" His tone offered no other response other than a challenge, and Kururu knew she had to do something fast.

As he brought his arm up to punch the man, he felt two slender arms wrap around it and gently hold it down. He looked to his left to see Kururu looking up at him with the cutest eyes he had ever seen, as if pleading with him to stop.

"Please don't Ikki-kun..its getting late and we shouldn't get into an unofficial battle." Ikki looked at her for a moment before letting out a sigh and slowly bringing his arm back down.

The other men didn't seem to have a problem though, and the leader seemed to grow in confidence as he heard Kururu's words. A low chuckle brought their attention back to the opposing gang of riders.

"'Unofficial fight', huh? That means you must be Itsuki Minami, better known as the leader of Kogarasumaru and the so called _Storm King_ right? Did I get all that?" Ikki gritted his teeth at the man as they belittled his team and their status, who the hell were these guys?

"Yeah, that's right. What of it?" The man shrugged, his slick black hair was oiled back and his sleek sunglasses kept the Storm king from reading him.

"Oh nothing, just wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. In fact, we were planning on challenging your team to see if you were really worth anything, but seeing as how you are just a punk, I guess there isn't any need." The man was obviously trying to goad Ikki, and it would have worked too, if Kururu wasn't still tugging on his arm.

"Whatever, you bastards aren't worth mine or my team's time. Let's go Kururu." The girl was glad to get out of there as they turned and began to walk off, only to be stopped when a strong hand gripped Kururu and tried to pull her back.

With a quick snap of his arm, Ikki had the man reeling his stinging arm back and was holding Kururu protectively from their group. The man was glaring at Ikki, not expecting such a quick move.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Ikki ordered an explanation and Kururu was too caught up in being held by Ikki to care about what the man had wanted.

"You called her Kururu, and with that outfit, I linked her with the team Tool Toul To. My A-Ts have been having some problems and I wanted a professional to take a look at it, who better than the Pledge queen herself? Last time I checked, Kogarasumaru didn't own a _neutral_ team, so if you could just buzz off-" Ikki's anger got the better of him as he interrupted the man with a growl and awoke Kururu from her daze.

"My team may not own Tool Toul To, but Kururu is _my_ personal tuner, not yours. You can just back off and go take them to a store for maintenance, but _she's mine_." He hissed out to them, leaving no room for argument.

Kururu was blushing heavily as Ikki held her tightly with an arm around her shoulders, it was the most protective he had been since the carrier battle. Sora had attempted to attack her while she was installing the newly patched Storm Regalia, and almost succeeded before Ikki was able to intercept his attack and save her. He held her as if she was a damsel, which in a way she was, and silently handed her off to Ringo before he set his sights on the traitor with a look that could kill.

_'It made me feel so happy when he said that..I've never seen him act like that since then, but now he is doing it again. Maybe it means his feelings have changed?'_

"Sorry Kururu.." Before she could ask why he was apologizing, she suddenly felt an arm lock under her knees and back and soon enough she found herself in the same hold and yelped a bit in surprise. "But I think its best if I get you back now, they will miss you if we wait much longer." Ikki shot off into the air and quickly found himself moving along the rooftops on his way towards the big clock tower that contained Tool Toul To's base.

_'I have never felt so angry before..it pissed me off big time when he just grabbed her like that. What was that?'_

Ikki wanted to decipher his feelings but just shook it off, there was little time to think about that. He looked down to see Kururu gripping his white undershirt tightly as his jacket flapped against the wind that was hitting them. Ikki's speed was a bit too much, it seemed his A-Ts were reflecting his emotions in their performance.

"Sorry about that Kururu..I didn't mean to surprise you..I just.." He still hadn't come up with the answer to what he was trying to say, but it seemed like Kururu didn't mind his stutter.

She just looked at him with her amber eyes and smiled, a smile that calmed him down and made him return it with one of his own.

_'Everything's alright, let's just take it slow and get a deep breathe of fresh air.'_

As Ikki attempted to calm down, he didn't notice the lingering presence of four riders following him. It appeared as though the rival gang wasn't so eager to give up.

000

_Evening_

_Clock tower Entrance_

Ikki came to a stop at the entrance to the building and gently allowed the girl to leave his arms. He walked her inside to the locked entrance where only Tool members could give the right speech to enter. Knowing that this is where he stopped, Kururu turned around to look at him and smiled again, as cheerful as always.

"Thanks for the evening Ikki-kun, it was fun! We should really do it again some time!" Ikki nodded, not sure of what else to say; Kururu was also at a loss for words and twiddled her fingers nervously.

"Yeah, its no problem Kururu. I had a lot of fun too. But..didn't you say there was something important you wanted to speak to me about today? Not that I didn't mind hanging out but..well I don't want you to get in trouble for forgetting something." He nervously chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood and scratched his head as Kururu seemed to suddenly remember.

_'You have to Sync with Ikki!'_

_'It's not sex..although it could lead to something more..'_

Thoughts of what her teacher had said ran through her ears again as Kururu attempted to sort out what she wanted to say with what little time she had. Figuring they were done talking, Ikki turned around and began to roll away, leaving Kururu scrambling to say something.

"Ikki, wait!" He heard her cry to stop and quickly turned around to see her arm out as if trying to reach for him, and it made him wonder what she had to say.

Breathing heavily in nervousness and just mental exhaustion, Kururu knew she didn't have the guts to say it out loud. Sighing, she would have to deal with another delaying tactic until she could gather her bearings.

"I'll tell you tomorrow..can you meet me at the park?" Ikki realized that there was something else the girl had to say but couldn't, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of the girl keeping something from him but shrugged.

"Sure, its still the summer so I don't have anything to do. You have private school lessons though don't you?" She nodded, and he knew that would alter the usual time. "When would be a good time for me to see you?"

Bringing a finger to her chin, Kururu struck a thinking pose that he couldn't describe with anything other than cute.

"Um..how about at two o' clock in the afternoon? Lessons end at one and I can take some time to prepare before I come meet you." Ikki nodded, but Kururu was soon accosted by his usual deviant self when he struck a similar pose but with suggestive, slanting eyes and moving eyebrows.

"Hmm.._get ready_ huh? Does that mean this is like a date or something?" Kururu yelped in surprise, and with speed unknown to Ikki, recited the code to get inside and entered within the span of no more than a few seconds.

Having a good laugh, Ikki rolled out of the room and headed home, as it was already dark outside. With the street lights guiding his way, he had an easy time finding his way. Today was a good day he thought, as he got to have fun with a friend of his.

_'Friend..and tuner..that's right.'_

000

"So boss, you sure about this? Couldn't we challenge him another way?" One of the members of the Ninhachi Stingers asked his leader of the group, the one that was bumped into by Ikki earlier.

"Yes I'm sure, the kid can't resist protecting his _little tuner_. All we have to do is get her, then we have ourselves a challenge, hell we can even make him come alone if we wanted to." The group seemed to agree as it seemed like the best plan.

"Yeah, he seemed pretty protective over her." Noted another member, but the one quiet one began to speak up in a nervous tone.

"But guys..she's the Pledge queen..a _neutral_ queen..can't we like, get in trouble for taking her?" The leader gripped his shirt tightly and threw him to the ground of the ceiling they were watching the clock tower entrance at.

"What are you, a coward? Tool Toul To may be a neutral team, but they have very few enforcers, even for their leader. We can grab her on her way to school and then leave behind our emblem for someone to find, the message will get to the Storm king pretty quick that we got his lady." The man just nodded, too afraid to go against his leader's rule.

"Besides..that kid's all talk anyway, I'll run him into the ground!"

000

So, that is the end of this small story's first chapter. I hope you enjoyed its start and don't find the premise too cliché, even though I know it is. I tried to make it unique with the surrounding storyline and in all honesty, there are very few Air Gear fanfics in comparison to Naruto, also, there are very few IkkixKururu stories for this to seem too overdone. I know I'll get fewer reviews than for my other stories so far, but I'm sure I can find a few readers that will enjoy it. Also, if you haven't figure it out yet, there will most likely be a lemon in this story's final chapter.

Review!

Peace!


	2. The Challenge, Feelings Revealed!

Air Gear

Chapter Two

The Challenge, Feelings Revealed!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AIR GEAR!**

Pairing: IkkixKururu

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"_Whispering"_

Time Frame: A Month after the Carrier Incident, Ikki destroyed the stolen Wind Regalia and defeated Sora and his followers. With a last minute stroke of genius from Kururu, the Storm Regalia was installed and Ikki was the new Storm King, forsaking the chance of becoming the Sky king so he could follow his own path in the Sky.

Okay so next chapter, Kururu is the target of the Ninhachi Stingers so they can get to Ikki. But what do they want exactly? What's Ikki going to do when he finds out? Will it be similar to what happened when Ikki first encountered Kururu's father? Or will he be helpless like when Hako was taken?

000

_Air Gear_

_Noyamano Household_

_Ikki's Bedroom_

_*Knock Knock*_

"Wake up Ikki!"

A loud yell came pounding into the black haired boy's ears, Ringo seemed to be able to get back into their old routine pretty easily. Ikki scratched the back of his head and placed the pillow over his ears to block her shrill knocking. It was the summer, and that meant that other than the occasional battle or practice, Ikki had no plans except sleep and eat.

_'Then again..I was supposed to meet with Kururu, she said she had something important to speak with me about. I wonder if she'll actually tell me today.'_

He mentally shrugged and cringed as another tirade of knocking hit his ears, and he absently wondered how much longer the door would hold. A short countdown went on in his head as he held up five fingers and slowly lowered them as the countdown came to a close; on the last one, Ringo came charging through the wooden door with an annoyed glare.

"Dammit Ikki! Wake up already, it's eight o' clock in the morning! You can't just stay in bed all day! You said Sumeragi-san was going to speak with you later right?" She scolded the tired boy who attempted to stand up and hobble over to his closet.

_'I hope she doesn't try anything funny, she has to be planning something big if she wanted to talk to him yesterday and today. Its like she's hogging him or something..'_ Ringo menacingly glared at the air and Ikki wondered what she was thinking when suddenly she just started laughing.

_'Yeah right! Kururu doesn't have the guts to do something like that, its still probably something to do with his Regalia!'_

"Uh..Ringo..have you gone insane while I was asleep? 'Cause you were laughing..and I didn't say anything funny..and that's the second time."

She looked at him funny and then blushed, knowing he had almost realized her secret. With a quick knock on the head, Ikki was out cold for a second time and Ringo felt her day had once again gotten off to a good start. Ikki had to be more careful around the girl if he wanted to stop getting beaten up.

Getting up from his stupor, Ikki left his room to almost run into Kanon, it seemed as if he was just passing through. His usual passive glare infuriated Ikki, but there was little he could do about it. The boy suddenly smiled and Ikki wondered what he was thinking.

"Ah Ikki-kun, just the guy I wanted to see." Ikki scratched the back of his head, pointing a finger at his chest questioningly.

"Me? Why, what do you want?" Kanon inclined his head towards the stairs and Ikki followed after him, curious as to what he wanted.

"You see Ikki, Ringo and I are going out today to get her tunings done in the Trophaeum tower. I wanted to invite you and Kururu-chan to come along too, seeing as how you'll be needing a tune up soon too." Ikki looked at him funny, why would he need a tune up?

"What are you trying to say like a tune up? My A-Ts are working fine.." He glanced down at them and back at Kanon for good measure, and the boy chuckled.

"Ah well, I guess I'll just let Kururu handle it then. Do try and stop by though..we _are_ allies nowadays." Light footfalls on the stairs made both look up to see Ringo, she was just pulling up her last stocking with her dress.

"Hey Ikki, Kanon-kun and I are heading out! I'll see you later!" He just nodded and watched the two pass by him and out the front door.

_'Huh..I wonder what time it is..'_

He walked into the living room to find the clock and saw that it was almost ten. Figuring Kururu was at school by that point, Ikki ran upstairs to grab his A-Ts and decided to relax today. The skies looked clear and he was feeling really good, why not just go out for some leisure riding? Finishing up his preparations, Ikki went downstairs and looked around the house to say goodbye to Rika.

Unable to find her, he shrugged and decided his voice would be better.

"Oi Rika! I'm headin' out!" Still no answer, but it wasn't a cause for concern.

With one last pat to his pockets to find his cell phone, Ikki was off into the streets.

000

_A Half Hour Later_

_Meeting Place_

_The Park_

At the park, Ikki decided to pass the time by playing on the swings. For some reason, he wasn't very satisfied with just riding around today and felt like he would try something new. A few smaller children were playing on the other side so Ikki found himself hogging the swings for himself. It seemed as if time sped up as he swung on the swings, the light breeze was gently soothing him to a deep sleep.

_*Ring Ring*_

_*Ring Ring*_

_*Ring Ring*_

"_What the hell..?"_ Ikki awoke to find himself lying in the sand, surrounded by little kids looking down on him.

"Is he awake?"

"I thought he was dead?"

"You mean I've been poking someone that's alive for over an hour? That's so bogus!" Ikki's eyes widened at how long he had been asleep and he quickly reached for the vibrating phone in his pocket.

Flipping it open, he found it to be from Ine Makigami, the former Pledge Queen. Kururu must have programmed the number into his phone for emergencies when he wasn't looking.

"Hello?" He answered, he felt awkward speaking with a person he still barely knew.

"_Storm King? Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you for the past hour!"_ Her shrill voice came over the line and forced him to take the phone far from his ear, she sounded pissed.

"Uh sorry..I kinda fell asleep." He brushed some sand from his hair and back while the woman sighed for a moment over the line.

_"Well, I'm glad I could get a hold of you. It looks like we have a problem..something happened to Kururu."_ It felt as if Ikki's heart stopped when she said those words, something happened to Kururu?

_'No way..there just isn't any way she could be telling the truth. Its gotta be a joke right? Its probably nothing..yeah.'_

"What do you mean something happened, is she alright?"

"_..She's been kidnapped, Itsuki. Someone took her before she got to school, and we found a few-"_ He didn't hear anything else as his grip loosened and the phone fell to the sandy floor, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping in shock.

_'Kidnapped..no, this wasn't supposed to happen! Its just like..just like that time with Hako..I couldn't do anything! I swore I wouldn't let my guard down..'_

"_Storm King? Storm King? Dammit..just come to the Clock Tower so we can discuss what to do."_ Ikki picked up his phone and was already on his way there, the pink headed girl was the only thing on his mind.

_'Kururu..this is my fault. Hang on!'_

000

_The Clock Tower_

_Ine's Quarters_

"We found these at the school, one was your emblem and one that we didn't recognize off the bat." Ikki took a look at the emblem, it was of a Japanese Hornet with its stinger out.

"I've never seen this emblem before..you said it was over ours like a challenge declaration?" Ine nodded in affirmation, she and Konami were the only two in the room with Ikki.

"Konami was the one who found them, that's why she's here." Ikki looked over at the girl, he could see she was angry but it also seemed like she was scared too.

"Konami." The girl was still looking at the emblem of the other team, as if she was in a trance.

"Konami!" The boisterous girl finally awoke and looked at Ikki, he was giving her a very serious look and it surprised her.

"I'll get Kururu back, I promise. I need you to tell me though if you saw anything else, I can't find them with just this though.." He held up their emblem to show and Konami looked at the ground in shame, this time she had no big words to back herself up.

"That was all I found..sorry Ikki-sama." He sighed and scratched the back of his head, a sudden flare of anger shot through him and he slammed his fist into Ine's paperwork desk.

"GOD DAMMIT!" He was breathing heavily with anger and exhaustion, and Ine knew exactly what he was feeling, self-loathing.

"Ah!" Konami yelped, she thought he had gotten angry with her.

"This isn't your fault Storm King. Kururu is a possible target because she is a queen, even more so now because she has yet to declare Tool Toul To's neutrality again." Ine stopped speaking when Ikki shook his head, she wasn't there yesterday when they met those guys.

"I know who did it..it's my fault. I picked a fight with them and she just wanted to leave..I should have left sooner..I should have watched where I was going..I should have-" A resounding slap echoed across the metallic room and Konami gasped, Ine had slapped Ikki to stop his tirade.

"Get a hold of yourself! It doesn't matter who's fault it is at this point, we have to think about how to get her back! Come on Storm King, what are you going to do?" She was putting him on the spot on purpose, to test his mettle with an on the fly decision.

Ikki's eyes were wide as he felt the spot where she had slapped him, no doubt it was red by now. He knew that saying those things wouldn't bring Kururu back, that was his job. Setting his serious gaze on Konami, Ikki took out his cellphone and threw it at her, almost making her get hit in the head with it. With a little bit of fumbling, the girl held the cellphone in the palm of her hands, curious as to what he wanted.

"Konami, you can link that phone up to a computer right? I'm sure they'll call soon to challenge me, but instead of racing, I'm gonna beat their asses! Trace the call, do whatever you have to do and find them!" Ikki slammed his fists together to show he meant business and Ine just shook her head in disbelief.

"Um..yes sir!" She saluted before running off to find a computer, leaving the two alone.

"Do you really think that will work? What if they don't bother to call?" Ikki turned his attention to her and shook his head, he just had a feeling.

"You'll have to trust me on this one. Call it a hunch, but these guys are cocky, all they want is to run me into the ground for disrespecting them." Ine nodded, she didn't know anything about the team so she would trust Ikki's judgment.

"Kanon got word of this, he cut his tuning short with Ringo and is on his way here. He wishes you to come with him to go talk to Kururu's parents, they are panicking. Apparently you know her father in some capacity?" Ikki gulped as he remembered the man, they hadn't had too many good run ins with each other.

_'First I wrecked his car, trying to rescue Kururu of course. Then I faced him and his team in a parts battle, with Kururu on their team instead of ours. Then he entrusted her to me because of a misunderstanding..I wonder if he still thinks that we are in a relationship?'_

"Alright..hopefully he doesn't kill me. I know I probably would.." Ikki looked down in shame, he still couldn't get over the fact that he had just let her slip through his fingers.

"Well, he is a business man, so he will most likely force you to do something in return for losing his daughter. Just be prepared to get her back, then maybe you can weasel your way out of it." Ikki laughed at that, Kururu would throw a fit if she found out her dad would force him to do something just for rescuing her.

_'That's just how kind she is..and that's the reason why she's in this mess. I'll fix my mistake..I won't let my guard down like this again.'_

A knock made them look over towards the door to see Kanon, the musician looked more serious than Ikki had ever remembered seeing him. It was no surprise though, his cousin was in danger and there wasn't anything he could do about it. Ine welcomed him with a hug, and Ikki realized how close Tool Toul To was to one another, like a family.

"Don't worry Kanon, the Storm King will get her back, she is his tuner after all." Kanon merely nodded, he didn't seem like he was in a good mood.

"Let's go Ikki-kun, Kururu's father is expecting you." Ikki sighed, knowing he was most likely going to die.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Ikki began to walk towards the exit with Kanon before he was stopped Ine's warning tone.

"No one will forgive you if you mess up, Kururu is precious to many people. Don't come back if you don't bring her back." Ikki looked at the floor dejectedly and nodded, he knew the stakes.

"Yeah..Kururu is precious to a lot of people..especially me." Ine and Kanon's mouths were gaping at the knowing smile Ikki was giving as he was no doubt thinking of the girl.

"Don't worry Makigame-san, I'll bring her back safe and sound. I just hope I can convince her old man." Ine nodded in affirmation and watched the two head out, leaving her alone for a moment.

Taking a seat at her desk, her hand went straight to her forehead and she sighed. Working with that boy was so annoying, he would be angry one moment then deadly serious the next. One thing was for sure though, Ikki was confident in his abilities, and he was determined to rescue Kururu. And that look in his eye..it reminded her exactly of the look Spitfire gave her.

_'So he does have feelings for her..but does he even know it?'_

"Ikki-sama, I got the..computer." Konami ran back inside with a large computer hooked up to his cellphone only to look disappointed with no Ikki around.

"Sorry Konami-chan, Kanon already picked him up to go see Kururu's family. They have to relay what information we have and to try and keep them from panicking." Konami scratched the back of her head and nodded, figuring that was the right thing to do.

"Well, I got this piece of junk to work. Its old, but its one of the few that has any kind of tracking hardware, so we should be able to locate them when they call..or _if_ they call. I'm not sure what Ikki's got going through his head..he must be insane to think this plan will work!" Ine laughed, it seemed no one had any confidence in Ikki, except Kururu.

"I don't think we have to worry about her, Ikki can handle it. Just make sure to get their location, and he will do the rest. After we get her back..I'm sure there will be plenty of gossip for you to spread around about when Kururu tunes Ikki for the first time." Konami's eyes began to sparkle as she realized that she would finally get some dirt on Kururu.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see the look on her face when she has to put on the sc and then go show him!"

000

_Ninhachi Headquarters_

_Wharfs_

Kururu wasn't exactly having fun, although she could figure her situation could be a lot worse. They had her sitting in a folding chair, its cold metal surface did not feel comfortable on her short skirted legs. The only restraints were a pair of handcuffs on her wrists, other than that she was just sitting there. From what she could tell, they were in a large warehouse building at the docks, close to where Ikki and her were walking the day before.

_'Ikki..'_

Her thoughts drifted to the storm rider, wondering what he was doing. Did he know that she had been kidnapped? Of course, there was no he didn't pick up on something being wrong when she didn't show up at two in the park. But..did he care?

_'I wonder what he's doing right now? These guys have no idea what they are doing, they didn't even check me for weapons of any kind..I could easily take apart these cuffs with a flick of my wrist..but why haven't I? I might not be able to outrun them if they find out I left..but I feel like there is something else..maybe I want to be the damsel again so he can focus on me..and only me.'_

She shook her head clear, it wasn't right for her to hog Ikki's attention to herself, no matter the situation. Still, in the end, all she wanted to do was be with him not only as a tuner but as a girl would be with a boy. It was difficult with Ikki though, especially with his dangerous life, but it was enough for her to just be able to be with Ikki, even if she couldn't fly with him.

_'Ikki..'_

Tears began to stream from her eyes as she realized that she may never get a chance to tell him how she felt. It was a scary feeling, since she always figured she would have another day to work up her courage. There might not be a next time now, as she did not even know the group's motives for attacking her. They wanted to get to Ikki, but how exactly?

"Oi girl! We're calling your boyfriend up, so stop crying!" Kururu looked up to see the leader with her cellphone, he was dialing Ikki's number now.

_'Please..be careful Ikki..I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I'm only a hindrance to you..I can't even do that right.'_

"Hello? Hello? This Ikki? Alright you brat, we got your tuner! If you want her back, be ready to give up your Regalia and bring along the Sky regalia too! Meet us at the top of your school, we'll have her there." Kururu was waiting for the part where in all the movies the hero asks to talk to the girl, but Ikki wasn't asking it.

"You sure you don't wanna, ya know, talk to her? I mean, she's right here? Alright, whatever, see ya later punk!" Kururu felt more tears come to her eyes as the phone was hung up and the thugs left her be, it seemed Ikki didn't care after all.

_'Ikki..why don't you see my feelings..why can't I ever get a chance to do things right?'_

000

_Clock Tower_

"Wooh! That was a close one, this voice changer's battery almost went out! I didn't even get a chance to see if Kururu was okay." Konami muttered, she had been the one to pick up the phone and had her voice deeper to sound more like Ikki's.

_'I hope nothing bad happened to her..or that she heard that conversation. Ikki would have a lot of explaining to do if that happened.'_

000

_Kururu's Home_

As the pair approached Kururu's home in a nicer part of town, Ikki couldn't help but feel fidgety. He had accepted that he would have to wait a while before he could just go out and rescue her, as he had no idea where the girl was. However, couple the fact he had no idea what had happened to her and that he had to go talk to her parents..well he wasn't a happy camper.

Kanon wasn't very happy, his cousin had gotten kidnapped and as far as he was concerned, it was the idiot he was next to who was at fault. Kanon wasn't one to use violence to show his feelings, better to play a note or tune on his guitar or just do some tuning to calm his nerves, but neither were readily available to him. It looked like Ikki's face would just have to do for now.

Sensing an attack to his left, Ikki allowed the sucker punch to send him flying backwards across the street, into the wall that surrounded Kururu's nice home. He had been wondering how long it would take for Kanon to blow his top, he had actually held it longer than Ikki had expected. Not once did he lift a finger as Kanon beat him senseless, because he knew the teen had every right to.

"You..this is all your fault!" Kanon yelled out, gripping Ikki's undershirt tightly and holding his face close to his own.

"I know..and I'm sorry." There was nothing else he could say, at least nothing that could appease Kanon.

"You better get her back..or else I'm sure you'll receive worse than that from her father." Ikki just glared at him, he already knew the situation he was in, and he was getting tired of being reminded.

"If you know where Kururu is, then tell me right now! I'll leave and have her back in a heartbeat!" Ikki held his arms out wide, as if to challenge the tuner. "Oh wait, you don't know where she is right? Well neither do I! If I did, then we wouldn't be talking right now and I wouldn't be on my way to my death bed by having to talk to her parents! So fuck you! Let's see you do better in my situation!" He flipped Kanon off, there was little else he wanted to express other than his own frustrations.

"Heh, whatever. Let's go." Ikki followed the boy through the gate and inside the luxurious place, it was somewhat small but very homey.

"Uncle! I'm here!" Kanon called out, waiting to be answered. Ikki paced around, waiting for the man to come in as well while trying to gather his bearings.

_'I'm nervous. Why am I nervous? Its not like I'm asking permission to take her out on a date or anything..I'm just here to tell him I fucked up and his daughter's missing. Yeah..smooth Ikki, real smooth.'_

"Ah Kanon, I've been waiting for you! Has there been any-" Ikki heard the pause and turned to see a doorway that led to what he guessed was the kitchen occupied by none other than not one, but both of Kururu Sumeragi's parents.

_'Oh shit..no one said anything about her mom! I've never met her before!'_ The woman looked like an older version of Kururu, albeit her hair wasn't as messy and had few to no hair clips; she also wore sleek glasses compared to her husband's big and old fashioned ones.

"Ah, there hasn't been any news that I'm aware of. We are still waiting for Ine-sama to get word from the kidnappers, then we can act." Kanon jumped in quickly to fill their surprised looks at Ikki, it wouldn't do for him to be torn apart..yet. "This is Ikki Minami, I believe you two remember each other. Ikki, this is my Aunt-" A melodious ring tone of a piano began playing throughout the quiet house and Kanon blushed, it was his.

"Sorry, I'll leave you all to talk while I see who it is." Kanon scurried off, giving a pitying glance to Ikki before he disappeared down the hallway.

The Kogarasumaru leader was giving him a death glare and flipping him the bird in his mind, how could he just leave him alone with _her parents_? He slowly turned to face them, seeing as they were waiting for him to talk.

"Um hello..Sumeragi-san." Ikki said quietly, giving a nervous smile and scratching the back of his head.

"So, you're the messed up King that got my daughter kidnapped huh? Sounds like something from a damn fairy tale." Ikki could see her mother had no qualms of speaking her mind, and it seemed it was more difficult for Ikki to find where Kururu got her shyness from.

"Um.." Ikki was at a loss for words, what was he supposed to say?

"Well, out with it? What the hell are you going to do, stutter? Aren't you supposed to be Kururu's chosen one to tune, you should have protected her!" Ikki shot his head back down at the floor at the insult, it was true.

"..."

"What the hell kind of a King are you? You can't even protect her?" Ikki couldn't take it anymore as the tears he had finally released, not many, but enough to show his emotion.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" The Sumeragi were shocked to find Ikki bowing as low as he could, practically touching the floor.

"I know its my fault! I know I messed up! I promised to watch over her and I couldn't even do that right! I don't deserve the right to be the one she chose to tune! I'm worthless!" Kururu's mother hadn't planned on evoking such emotion from the boy, and she didn't want to embarrass him further.

"Hey..get up off the ground." Ikki looked up at her to see Kururu's father offering a hand for him to use.

Taking it, he felt rejuvenated as he was pulled to stand back up on his feet. He felt a bit shameful with the tears streaking his face and quickly got to wiping them away before Kanon returned.

"Boy.." It was Kururu's father's turn to speak, and Ikki could already tell his tone wasn't the best. "When we last fought, I destroyed that contract because you gave an admirable show. I only asked for one thing in return, that you take care of my daughter and make her happy. I know now that you weren't in a relationship then nor are you now, but I still expected better than this!" Ikki nodded, he had nothing to defend himself with and what the man said was true.

"So..I suppose this means you once again owe me for forgiving you. But there will be two conditions! You can't back out on either, and you have to follow through with them to the end! Understood?" Ikki was surprised he was actually getting a chance of redemption and nodded, although he didn't like the smirk gathering on the father's face.

"_Once_ you get Kururu back, you must first promise again to look after her and protect her, that is not a negotiable condition, it a renewal of your original contract!" Ikki sweatdropped at the man's use of business terms and just nodded.

"The first condition is that you must promise to allow her to visit me and my wife whenever she can, as I expect her to move in with you soon! The second one is..is that because you failed with the first contract, you will just have to marry my daughter to seal the deal!" If Ikki sweatdropped before, he literally fell face first into the ground after hearing that.

_'Marriage? Where the hell did that come from?'_

"Are you serious?" Ikki asked dumbfounded, he couldn't believe he would mention marriage so lightly.

"Damn right I'm serious, you seem like a hooligan and riffraff to me, but my daughter appears to have taken a liking to you. If being with you will make her happy, then by god you _will_ be with her! Understood?" Ikki picked himself off of the ground and turned to Kururu's mother for help, hoping she could see common sense.

She merely examined him for a moment with flicking eyes before lighting a cigarette and shrugging.

"Don't look at me, I support my daughter and my husband. If she wants you, then you can bet we'll make sure she gets you, whether you like it or not." Ikki just brought a hand to his forehead and sighed, it looked like he wouldn't be able to weasel his way out of it.

_'I have realized I feel something for Kururu..but this marriage thing is a bit fast right? I mean..we are only like..16?'_

"Hm..well I do like your daughter, she is pretty awesome at tuning and has got to be one of the nicest girls I know. Spending the rest of my life with her wouldn't be so bad, now that you are forcing me to put it into perspective." Kururu's dad was taken aback, he had to admit he was mostly just joking with the kid, although he didn't mind it if it would make Kururu happy.

"But..I have a condition for you. When I come back with Kururu, if you want us to get married, I expect two rings, an alter, a dress, a tux, and a priest ready to go. If you can do that, Mr. Sumeragi, then we have a deal." Ikki extended his hand to shake and the father looked at him for a moment before smirking and taking his hand, the kid had guts after all.

"You're on..crow!" Both men smiled, a smile that only they could find meaning in as they agreed to the terms.

Kururu's mother just shook her head as she watched the two, she had a feeling she would be seeing a lot more of the boy in the days, months, and years to come. Hopefully, that was a good thing.

_'Kururu only says good things about him..hopefully they were all true.'_

"Ikki-kun!" Kanon came back into the room as if on queue, and the group's attention turned to him. "Ah sorry..did you two make nice?" Ikki and the father exchanged glances, and Ikki turned back and smiled.

"You could say that.." Kanon didn't understand what he meant, but it was better to relay the news he received first.

"I just got off the phone with Ine-sama! They tracked down Kururu's cellphone, she's being held at the wharfs, you are supposed to meet them in an hour at the roof of your school." Ikki's eyes widened at the information, she was at the wharfs?

"That was close to where we met those guys the first time! I'm going!" Ikki was just about to leave when Kanon grabbed his shoulder, he wasn't done speaking yet.

"Wait a minute Ikki-kun, they have demands." Ikki glared at Kanon and the boy quickly released his grip.

"Fuck their demands, I'm going to take them out and rescue her, I'm not going to risk her life!" Kanon just smiled and shook his head in exasperation, Ikki was so predictable.

"Well, at least let me tell you what they are. They demanded that you hand over both your Storm Regalia and the Sky Regalia..they have some gall." Ikki would have broken out laughing if the situation allowed it, those were outrageous demands that could have only been made by an inexperienced leader.

"Alright, I'm on it! Remember our bet Sumeragi-san, rings, clothes, and priest!" Ikki was out the door quicker than they could see and Kanon looked at his Aunt and Uncle curiously to figure out what Ikki meant.

"Hm..honey, could you bring me the phone book? Looks like I'll be making a few calls.."

Kururu's father wasn't a man to be made fun of, nor outdone.

000

_Wharfs_

Ikki was skating through the immense fishing district, silently cursing Kanon and Konami. All the warehouses looked the same, how was he supposed to know which one she was in?

_'I guess I'll just have to look for their emblem..'_

It wasn't long before Ikki came face to face with the hideout in question, graffiti and Stinger emblems covered the outside of the building. For such a small group, the Ninhachi Stingers seemed to have no problems with showing off their base.

_'Big mistake on their part.'_

At first, Ikki considered going in through the front door guns blazing, but he figured that since he had time to spare, he would scope the place out first by going to the roof. It wasn't his usual style, but Kururu was in danger, and he wasn't going to risk her life.

Scaling the wall easily, Ikki made his way over to the windows and peered inside. It was mostly dark, the lighting was either not working or turned off for a reason. It seemed that the gang mainly hung out in the center of the place, he could make out a couch and a few other furniture outlines.

That was when he saw her.

Kururu was sitting in a chair, looking quite uncomfortable but otherwise fine. Her hands were cuffed and she seemed a bit disheveled, but it was enough to get Ikki's blood boiling. Taking his eyes away from her, Ikki checked his cellphone and saw that it was almost time for the meeting to take place, meaning that the goons would show themselves.

Sure enough, the group began to move in around Kururu and ushered her to stand up. Seeing the men lay their hands on her was too much, and Ikki knew he would no longer hold back against them. Ikki brought up his hands against the glass and focused the wind into a dense, compact center. With a quick release of the wind like a slingshot, it shot forward and broke the glass, bringing everyone's attention to the charging King.

"What the hell?"

"How did he get here?"

"Ikki!" Kururu's cry made Ikki speed forward even faster and land in their midst, intent on getting her away from them.

Two goons came up first, and Ikki sent a devastating kick into one's gut. He moved under the others punch and quickly brought up an open palm with focused wind and sent him flying back with an invisible punch. As the next one prepared to face Ikki's back, the boy turned around everyone gasped at what they saw. Ikki's Regalia was in full gear and his eyes seemed to glow with an eery aura, as if his powers were flowing through his body freely.

"Let. her. go." He said plainly, with no room for discussion; the leader cringed as he saw the boy already had the upper hand in their fight.

"What are you doing, you idiot! Go get him!"

The shy one went charging at Ikki only to be blown away with Ikki's manipulation of gale force wind. He had become the eye of a storm, wind swirled around him and threatened to beat anyone else away.

"I won't ask again." The leader quickly brought out a knife, but soon could only watch in surprise as Kururu freed herself of the restraints.

With a flick of her wrist, dozens of tools lined her arms and hands and the handcuffs, pocket knife, and his A-Ts soon fell apart and dropped to the floor. Kururu quickly ran over to Ikki and hugged him tight, glad to feel his embrace again after her ordeal. She turned to look at the man who was now on the floor, just gaping at what had happened; she decided to explain to him as Ikki calmed his Regalia.

"I am the Pledge Queen, a master at tuning, reassembling, and disassembling parts. With just a few strokes from my tools, anything that has been put together can be taken apart, you aren't much of a threat if your weapons are in pieces, now are you?" He couldn't manage to say anything in return.

"Now then..I suggest you don't try something like this again. I went easy on you this time, but if I find out you try to hurt someone I love again.._I'll kill you._" He whispered the last part out in warning, enough to make the man faint.

Kururu smiled, Ikki had come for her after all, she didn't have to worry. It took her a moment to review what he had said though, and when she did, her blush was overwhelming.

_'Love? Did he just say..he loved me?'_

"Come on Kururu, let's get out of here." She allowed herself to be picked up, still in a daze over the choice words Ikki had used.

He knew exactly what words he had used though, and he didn't regret saying them. That said, it would be some trouble explaining the process leading up to him realizing his feelings.

"But..Ikki..how..why?" He looked down at the vulnerable girl who he held in his arms as they glided along the rooftops towards her home.

He smiled, a knowing smile that could only make her blush more.

"It took me this incident to realize just how important you really are to me Kururu. I don't want something like this to happen again..the feeling of you in trouble..hurt me more than any wound I've ever felt. Hehe..listen to me, I sound like some guy off of some stupid soap opera." Kururu smiled and leaned into his chest, she felt so warm right now, the way her feelings were finally acknowledged, and even returned was just wonderful.

"Just remember..you're my tuner..and you'll always be _my Queen_." That comment was what did it for Kururu, and with trembling hands, she pulled her face close enough to his where she could kiss it.

"Kururu, what are you doing, I can't se-" He was cut off when she kissed him right on the lips, for once in her life, Kururu wasn't stumbling into a situation, she was _initiating _it.

The kiss was quick though, even Kururu's courage had its limits. It was enough for Ikki though, to know he wanted more of course.

"If I'll always be your queen..then that means that..you'll always be my king..Ikki." Her cute smile did it for Ikki and he stopped riding to bring her close again, he couldn't resist but to kiss her cute lips again.

_'After she licked that ice cream cone in front of me yesterday..no way in hell am I missing out again.'_

_'I wonder if my ice cream trick worked? I'm definitely not complaining.'_

This kiss was longer, and it saw both lovers joining each others tongues as they stood atop the skyscrapers of their home town. It was there that both realized, just how silly they were for not realizing their feelings and confirming them sooner.

It wasn't much longer before they continued on again, except both were much more relaxed after releasing some of their 'sexual' tension.

"Um Ikki..where are we going?" Kururu asked after a while, she had expected him to take her to the Clock Tower to report to her sensei.

"I'm taking you home, your parents were worried sick when I was there." He winked at her playfully and she giggled.

"I'll bet, my father is a bit overprotective."

"I'll say, I mean he even went so far as to say I was going to have to.._marry you._"

_'..Oh shit...'_

"What was that?"

"Um..just wait until we get to your house..and don't be mad if your father has a giant banner up that says 'Kururu and Ikki, Just Married'."

"..."

"EHHH!"

Not for the first time did Kururu blush that night, neither was it the first of her passing out, and in this context, Ikki couldn't really blame her.

000

Wow, this chapter ended up being longer than I expected, and I liked the end. Sorry if the battle was rushed, but I am a Naruto writer, and I knew I couldn't do justice to a big fight like in Air Gear. Next chapter will be the epilogue and the lemon where Kururu can no longer delay the tuning with Ikki, although now that their feelings are out in the open, its much less awkward..or is it?

Review!

Peace!


	3. The Storm's Tuning, Lover's Embrace!

Air Gear

Chapter Three

The Storm's Tuning, Lover's Embrace!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AIR GEAR!**

Pairing: IkkixKururu

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"_Whispering"_

Time Frame: A Month after the Carrier Incident, Ikki destroyed the stolen Wind Regalia and defeated Sora and his followers. With a last minute stroke of genius from Kururu, the Storm Regalia was installed and Ikki was the new Storm King, forsaking the chance of becoming the Sky king so he could follow his own path in the Sky.

Kururu can no longer delay the tuning with Ikki, although now that their feelings are out in the open, its much less awkward..or is it?

000

_Air Gear_

_Noyamano Household_

_Ikki's Bedroom_

Ikki awoke at his usual time, but oddly, there was no knocking from Ringo. He found it strange for the house to be so quiet when he awoke, as he had gotten used to his sister's wake up call. Nevertheless, there were still many things he had to do today, so he couldn't wallow in bed waiting for Ringo to come barging in.

_'Yesterday, Kururu and I unofficially got married by a priest. She was able to talk her dad out of getting the official documents up by saying she wanted to stay a Sumeragi for a little while longer. It was a great save on her part..I think we were both dreading it a bit. The best part was though that she promised she would marry me and take my name eventually, it really made me feel pretty damn good!'_

With the thought of Kururu on his mind, he was reminded of his plans for today.

"I have to go to the Clock Tower for tuning, apparently I'm in need of it. Someone's supposed to come out here and escort me there when Kururu is ready for me..I wonder what's going to happen?" Ikki shrugged, he wasn't one for thinking over details much.

With a few quick preparations, he was dressed and ready to head out. With a quick peek out his door, he could find no signs of Ringo or any of the other girls in the house. Shrugging off the weird feeling of quiet, Ikki headed downstairs to eat before he had to wait around for Kururu's messenger to arrive. Entering the kitchen, he came face to face with the entire family of girls looking at him with inquisitive faces.

"Hey Ikki. Come on and sit down, I just made breakfast." Rika invited him over, a bowl of cereal was going to be their start to the new day.

"Thanks Rika-nee..I'll admit I'm a bit nervous for today." The older woman looked at him curiously before the depressed Ringo decided to butt in.

"_Kururu's_ going to tune him today.." She said her name with venom, but Ikki wasn't really surprised by the fact that she did so; Rika seemed to ignore it and gasped.

"Really? Well, I suppose its about time Ikki. Don't worry, afterward you'll feel a lot better with your skates. It feels like you were reborn after a tuner gets through with your regalia." Ikki nodded but kept his eyes on the sulking form of Ringo, and he decided he would poke fun at her.

"What's the matter Ringo? Are you jealous or something? I mean, I am a King just like you, and you have been tuned by _Kanon_." He said the tuner's name with a sing songy tone of mocking, only to make her blush angrily and glare at him.

"Shut up Ikki! That's different, its not like I-" Mikan and Ume turned their attention to their sister and saw her holding her mouth to cover up her almost confession; Ikki just scratched his head in confusion.

"It's not like you what? What were you going to say?" Mikan just burst out laughing and Rika shook her head in disbelief, it wasn't long before Ringo was yelling at them and Ikki just got back to work on his cereal.

_'This family..is insane. I guess there just isn't any other explanation for it.'_

A knock came to the front door and everyone quieted suddenly, as if trying to ward whoever it was away. Eyes turned on Ikki and he scratched his head, it looked like it was time for him to go. Ringo especially wasn't happy, but she couldn't deny Ikki his A-T maintenance, it was incredibly important for a King and if anything the tuning would be good for him.

_'Doesn't mean I'll have to like it though..'_

"Well, I guess that's for me. I'll see you guys later." Ikki headed towards the front of the house to answer the door while he left the others behind to their own devices.

"Sucks for you Ringo. Looks like Kururu has won this round!" Ringo blushed again and tackled Mikan in a fit of anger, she wasn't in the mood.

"Shut it Mikan, I'm not in the mood for your jokes!"

000

_Front Door_

"Ah..Kana-san, Kururu sent you?" Ikki welcomed the Thunder King, Nue's tuner as he walked out to find her.

As quiet as she always was, Kana nodded and indicated that he follow her on her bike. Ikki shrugged and revved up his A-Ts before they were off.

"I think you will enjoy your tuning session, Ikki-sama. Even though Kururu has never done one before, I coached her on what to do as well as Ine-sama. You should come out of it feeling much stronger than before." Ikki was surprised there was something Kururu had yet to do with tuning, but figured it was a King-Tuner thing only.

"Yeah, that's what my sister said about the tuning, apparently its pretty overwhelming. I hope I don't cause trouble for Kururu." He scratched the back of his head and laughed, only to elicit a giggle from Kana too.

"I wouldn't worry Ikki-sama, Kururu may be very nervous about the tuning, but she was practically glowing as we were preparing for it. I don't think you will be disappointed."

"Nothing Kururu does could disappoint me." He stated matter-of-factly, bringing out another smile from the Tool rider.

"That's good to hear Ikki-sama, I'm sure Kururu will appreciate hearing you say that. Let's pick up the pace, better not to make her wait much longer!" With that, Kana sped up on her bike and Ikki found himself in a race to get to the Clock Tower first against the bike rider.

_'I'm almost there..Kururu, I wonder what you're thinking right now?'_

000

_Clock Tower_

_Ine's Office_

"Eh? Aren't you done? I feel so silly, stop it Konami!"

"Oh hold still! You want to look good for your tuning with Ikki, don't you?"

"Well yes..but is it really necessary to make me try on all this lingerie to wear over the SC tuning suit?"

'OF COURSE!"

"Would you two knock it off! Kururu, get out here!" Ine ordered them to come out of the closet they were hiding in, the two arguing was giving her a headache.

With stuttered affirmatives, both girls came out to see Konami with a triumphant smirk on her face and with Kururu practically pouring tears with her blush. She was, instead of wearing the usual cloak for modesty, a pink teddy that barely reached the top of her thighs and revealed the suit underneath. As the suit itself was practically transparent and practically void of anything to obscure a person's view, Kururu truly felt like she was naked. It was so embarrassing that they were making such a big deal out of the tuning with Ikki.

"So..are you finally done?" Ine asked rhetorically, she could already tell by their faces that Kururu had been successfully embarrassed.

"Yes ma'am! Kururu is ready for her big date with Ikki!" Kururu's blush deepened in embarrassment as Konami just laughed.

"_Do you_..do you really have to make such a big deal out of it Konami? I mean, why is me tuning Ikki different than Kana tuning Nue?" The answer was easy for the girl as she got close to Kururu's face and smirked.

"Its because Kana and Nue aren't in a _relationship_! Get it? Kururu and Ikki, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ine almost felt sorry for the poor girl, but she thought it would be good for her to lose her nervousness now before Ikki arrived.

"I just..don't want to disappoint Ikki-ku.._Ikki _with my inexperience. What if he gets angry that I'm not good at tuning with him personally?" Ine understood the girl's feelings, it was scary to think about if a tuner would fail the rider, or if they would embarrass themselves.

"Don't worry, Kururu Ikki will give you all the exper-"

"If Ikki really loves you, then he won't care how you perform with your tuning. He places his trust in you for a reason, if he didn't, then he wouldn't have acknowledged you as his tuner, do you understand Kururu?" The girl was surprised by her master's words, and found them to ring true in her ears.

_'Ikki..she's right, Ikki won't care. I'll just do my best, like I promised.'_

Kururu nodded happily, and Konami pouted for being interrupted before she could poke more fun at the shy girl.

"Ma'am, I have prepared the tuning chamber for Kururu-chan and Ikki-sama." Hako walked in and announced her presence with a status report, it was her job to get the tuning bubble ready for them.

Kururu was glad to see Hako wasn't angry anymore over losing Ikki to her, as it was difficult to work with Hako if she did not get along well. Ine nodded and turned her attention back to Kururu, shaking her head at the silliness Konami had in selecting the pink teddy.

"Where did you even find that? From your own personal collection, Konami-chan?" The girl had the decency to blush, even with Kururu's giggling.

"O-Of course not! I went out shopping especially for Kururu today to find her the best outfits, they are my wedding gifts to her!" The tables were once again turned on Kururu and she was the one blushing.

"W-we aren't married yet Konami-chan! I haven't taken his name up yet and-" Her evil grin told Kururu that she had already said too much and she quieted down.

"_Oh_? So you haven't taken his name up _yet.._but you _will, _huh?" Kururu wanted to just crawl in a hole and die, there was little else Konami could make fun of then.

"Ma'am, I have brought Ikki-kun he-..Kururu-chan, what are you wearing?" Kana chose that moment to walk in with Ikki and Kururu felt as if her world just froze.

_'Please Ikki, don't be there when I turn around. Don't be there when I turn around..don't be-'_

"Wow...Kururu, what are you wearing? Is that for me?"

"Damn right it is! Show your goods off for him Kururu!"

"EEHH?"

000

_Clock Tower_

_Tuning Area_

After a very embarrassing time of covering up and explaining the situation to Ikki, Kururu was finally ready to begin with the real reason he was there, to tune him to his Regalia. While his A-Ts were taken by other members to be kept and stored for later tuning by her, Kururu would join Ikki in the tuning chamber and begin the process of linking his body to the same 'frequency' as the A-Ts.

_'Like an instrument out of tune, ones body must be on the right level as the A-Ts to bring out maximum efficiency. As Ikki has yet to be specifically tuned for this, it will take longer to find the right frequency, I will have to listen well..hopefully I won't get distracted.'_

As Kururu waited outside the closed chamber to join Ikki, he and another tuner were already inside. Since it was too embarrassing for her, Ikki was led to the chamber by the more experienced tuner Kana. He was allowed his privacy to strip as Kana had her back turned, and he slowly eased into the icy cold steel seat.

"I apologize for this inconvenience Ikki-sama, I'm sure Kururu and you would have appreciated it if she were the one here to guide you through the preliminaries. However, as it is her first time doing this particular type of tuning, she is very nervous and asked me to help. Is this alright with you?" Kana explained as she kept her back facing towards Ikki for privacy sake, to which he appreciated.

"It's fine..Kana right?" She nodded, and he was glad he remembered the name. "I appreciate you helping us get the ball rolling, I don't want to cause Kururu any grief since this is because of me." With a slight shake of her head, Kana dismissed his concerns.

"Not at all Ikki-sama, as tuners of Kings, it is Kururu-chan's and my duty to keep you at a top level of performance, one way of doing which is tuning. It is a given you will require this tuning at times, and a tuner will never be burdened to help you, in fact Kururu was very excited at the start of today, despite her nervousness; she is glad that she finally gets to be of use to you, and not hinder you." Ikki looked at the girl with surprise, was that really what Kururu thought?

_'She could never be a burden to me..how can I make her see that?'_

"Ikki-sama, Kururu will soon enter to begin the process. Under her request, we have closed this room with shutters to prevent others from seeing inside, so you will have privacy. To help her and to speed up the process, please do not move during the tuning unless Kururu says so, allow her to move _you_. You may at times feel slight trembles or vibrations in your skin, this is a normal feeling during the process, so please do not feel alarmed. Lastly, please attempt to enjoy the tuning, as it will make Kururu feel more achieved and will increase your performance later on. I'll send her in as soon as she is ready." Ikki could only watch as the girl bowed, still facing the other way, and left him alone.

Upon exiting, Kana found Kururu kneeling in front of the door, her hands clasped together in prayer. She was muttering the common phrases used by Tool members before beginning tuning or any other activity. It seemed it was one last good luck charm for the girl, and Kana smiled at her concern to do things right.

"_Give us day by day the food. And so I say to you, ask, and you will receive!"_ Finishing up, Kururu quickly stood up when she noticed Kana staring at her, somewhat startled.

"Sorry Kana-chan, I didn't notice you there. Is he..um..ready for me?" Kana smiled at how innocent she looked and nodded.

"Yes, he is waiting for you Kururu-chan. We will be out here if you need anything, good luck!" Kururu nodded and walked past her, turning around to wink at Kana before closing the single entrance inside.

Bare-footed, Kururu walked along the metal gangplank until she finally entered the room, and in sight of Ikki. Within moments, her eyes locked onto his lower regions and she blushed furiously, causing Ikki to panic and quickly cover up with his hands.

"Sorry Kururu! I didn't know you were coming in." Kururu nodded but quickly moved to join him and removed his hands hesitantly from his private area.

"Its okay Ikki, don't worry about covering up with me, as I am your tuner." She gave him a reassuring smile and hesitantly, Ikki laid back into the seat and relaxed.

With little further wait, Kururu, clad only in the skin tight tuning suit, climbed onto the seat and Ikki to prepare. Ikki's eyes finally found perverse purchase in seeing Kururu's cute and perky breasts showing off and he wondered if he was allowed to touch. Quickly remembering Kana's advice on not moving, Ikki kept his hands still as Kururu's instead invaded his body, touching every joint in a soothing fashion as if to loosen him up.

_'I never knew he was so strong, his wiry frame belies his bodies actual level of muscle..Ine-sensei and Kana-chan were right, this takes my understanding of Ikki to a much more personal level.'_

Kururu couldn't help herself as she continued to explore, lowering her body more and more onto his as she not only pressed on him with her hands but with her entire form. Their bodies fit together like a perfect puzzle piece as she twisted and curved around him to touch and explore his entire being. Ikki felt amazing as his tuner's hands wandered over him, it was as if he was getting a personal massage by someone with a vibrating touch, and the tuning had barely started.

"Ikki.." Kururu couldn't express how wonderful she felt in their situation, no matter her previous nervousness. "I feel so..at peace right now. Your body..its secrets are unlocking to me as I explore..and I feel like I could do anything with you now that I..know you so well. I was so afraid I would disappoint you.." Seeing her head dip in shame, Ikki couldn't stand it any longer and brought his hands to her face, holding her cheeks so that she could only look at him to see his smile.

"Nothing you do could ever disappoint me Kururu..because I love you. I couldn't have asked for a better tuner, nor a better girl to fly with. Even if you can't always fly with me, you will be the earth that I can return to when my wings are tired from soaring the sky." Kururu was touched by his words, and it was then she realized that it didn't matter to Ikki to have a girl who could keep up with him like she had always feared, what mattered was that he had someone who would stay with him forever.

_'Ikki..'_

"I'll always be waiting for you to come back to the ground Ikki..and I'll always try my best to fly with you!" With little else to say, Kururu and Ikki met in a kiss that soon turned very passionate.

His hands moved to touch and feel her body while hers remained on his chest as she kept her body over his own. It wasn't long into his groping session did Ikki realize that his lower area was beginning to awaken, and that Kururu could easily feel it against herself in her position.

"Kururu, I'm-" He was quieted with a kiss and a smile before Kururu reached up to her shoulder blade and began to remove the suit from its seam.

"Its okay Ikki..I want to go farther with you..please let me show you how far my feelings can fly!" In such a bout of confidence that even shocked Ikki, he could not refuse the girl as she quickly stripped to be as naked as he was.

Without further adieu, Kururu quickly allowed herself to get on top of him again and lowered herself onto him. As the lover's embraced fully, their moans and love cries were covered and locked within the shuttered room to keep prying ears and eyes away for the lovers' alone time. They did not stop after the first release, nor the second, and it was obvious the two would be quite inseparable for some time after.

An hour later, Kururu lay exhausted to Ikki's side, resting her head on his bare chest. A proud smile was plastered on Ikki's face as he not only got the girl of his dreams, but was able to prove his feelings to her..many times.

"So Kururu..how would this first tuning be rated in performance wise?" He asked suddenly, feeling playful with the Pledge Queen.

Kururu quickly caught on and smiled, pulling herself up to mount him again.

"Currently, your frequency of tune with your A-Ts and Tuner is at 95%, but I think we can get to 100% with a little more work." Ikki smirked as she lowered herself and began to bounce against him.

"Let's shoot for the sky baby, no looking back!"

000

_Dedicated to Ikki and Kururu, the true couple of Air Gear among the Yaoi and IkkixRingo/Simca dreamers._

_The Engineer and the Crow._

_The Pledge and the Storm._

_The Earth and the Sky._

_Kururu x Ikki forever!_

000

I hope you enjoyed this short story, in all actuality, I think this last chapter could have been a decent one shot as it was the only part I had planned out from the start. I felt making a story would be better though, as I love the pairing and felt like they deserved more fiction than they have. Also, I didn't write a more graphic lemon because Ikki and Kururu are arguably the most innocent of the pairings with her personality, and I just couldn't write more detail with her, but I think it fits better that way, let the reader's imagination run wild and keep Kururu's innocence.

Enjoy!

Review!


End file.
